Muller v. Oregon

In 1908, in Muller v. Oregon, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a state law that regulated the employment of women. The Court's decision in Muller v. Oregon gave rise to many questions about the progressive agenda and how its goals might best be achieved. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, political progressives pursued economic and political reforms. Many pushed hard to improve working conditions for men, women, and children laboring in shops and factories. The women's movement was pressing for the right to vote and the right to exercise autonomy in legal and economic affairs.

The...

Justice David Josiah Brewer wrote the unanimous opinion in Muller v. Oregon. (Library of Congress)